After organizing one more edition of WordCamp Pune, I thought it would be worth writing down how the event has changed over the years. We have tried many things along the way, and since the very beginning, we have hosted seven WordCamps in Pune.
2013 — Where It All Began
The first WordCamp in Pune was held on the 23rd and 24th of February, 2013. I organized it with the support of the WPoets team, who helped with both planning and running the event. This was back when the WordPress community in India was still in its early days. We made it a two-day event. Day one was all about developers, with every talk aimed at them. Day two was for WordPress users.
2015 — The Community Takes the Lead
The next WordCamp came after a gap of one year, in 2015. This was the first one organized by the Pune WordPress community itself, with Saurabh Shukla as the lead organizer. It was a one-day event, but we tried something new — parallel tracks. We had a main hall for talks and smaller rooms for workshops and lightning talks.
This was also the WordCamp where we said no to plastic water bottles. Instead, we gave every attendee a steel water bottle. We also hosted a networking dinner the night before and an after-party to wrap things up.
2017 — Wapsara Makes Her Debut
After another gap of one year, the next WordCamp Pune took place in 2017 at Wadia College. Saurabh led this one again. It was a two-day event — day one had beginner workshops, and day two was the main conference.
This edition holds a special place for us because it was where we introduced Wapsara, our official mascot and the first female Wapuu from India.
To help more people take the stage, we also held a workshop before the event for those who wanted to speak but were unsure about their public speaking skills.
2019 — A Fresh Team Steps In
Staying true to what was now starting to feel like a Puneri tradition, we took another one-year gap. The next WordCamp was held in 2019 at IISER Pune. Sheeba Abraham led the organizing team, and this was the first time I was not part of it.
I made full use of my free time. With no duties to worry about, I spent the day talking to various entrepreneurs who run WordPress businesses in India.
2024 — The Big Comeback (With a Bold New Format)
Then COVID hit, and there were no WordCamps in Pune for several years. We started planning one for 2023, but Puneri inertia got the better of us. By the time we pulled things together, we knew 2023 was not going to happen. So we pushed the event to February 2024.
Aditya Kane led this edition, and he brought some bold changes and a new venue. We hosted a WordCamp with no speakers. Yes, you read that right. Instead, we ran six outcome-focused workshops on the conference day, each supported by four to five facilitators. This format worked really well. Attendees loved it because it allowed real, two-way conversations between facilitators and participants. The venue was the MCCIA Trade Tower.
This was a first-of-its-kind format for any WordCamp in India.
2025 — Breaking the Pattern
For the first time, we broke the tradition of skipping a year and held the very next WordCamp in 2025. Aditya Kane continued as lead organizer, and we kept the workshop format. But we added something new — a two-hour Unconference, which I managed. We also brought back the mixer event.
2026 — A New Tradition Takes Root
And then, to everyone’s surprise, we did it again in 2026. Some might say a new tradition is being born in the Pune WordPress community. This time, Aditya Jaju took the lead. We replaced the Unconference with an Open Mic format, where speaker applications were invited and reviewed. Shruti managed the Open Mic sessions.
Looking Ahead
I am quite sure we will keep this new streak alive and host another WordCamp in Pune in 2027. The Pune WordPress community has come a long way and the best is yet to come.